Improvement in electrical cotton-picking machines



R'. F. COOKE. ELECTRICAL COTTON EICKINC MACHINE.

No. 103,986. PatentedJune 7, 1870.

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ROBERT if". COOKE, Oli' B iOOKliY-N, liW YORK.

Letters Patent N 103,986, dated June 7, 1870.

www- IMPROV'EMENT IN ELECTRICAL COTTON-PICKING MAGl-IINI-'JSA *wos TheSchedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part cf the sameTextil whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT F. (looks, of Brooklyn, in the count-y ofKings, in the State of NewYork, have inventeda new and usefulImprovement in Machines for Picking Cotton, ot' which the following is aspecification.

This invention is an improvement on the machines for picking cotton forwhich Letters Patent of thc United States have been granted to me on the26th day of May, 1868, and On the 29th day of' March, 1870, and consistsin the arrangement and application of belts or bauds at each side ofthemachine, charged with electricity, for thc purpose of attracting andcollecting the loosened fibers of the cotton-boils,

' and carrying the same into a receiving-box,

In the accompanying drawing- Figure I is a front view of a machineVembodying my invention, and

Figure II is a side elevation of' the same. 4

A represents the li'ame of the carriage or wagon to which the variousshaking devices, for operating against the cotton-plant, for the purposeot'looseuing the cotton from the boils, as described in my formerpatents, together with the necessary machinery, are attached, all ofwhich have been left out in the accompanying drawing.

To this frame A a receiving-box, B. is attached, on each side ot' whichendless bands or belts a- (L are arranged, passing ovcr suitablerollers, C C', situatedl some little distance above the box B, and overrollers D D', near thebottom of the machine, and only a short distancefrom the ground. V The shaft of the roller C is provided with a pulley,r, connected, through the belt i), with the pulley, u', on the shaft af,which said shalt is connected, through the gearing p with thc shaft F,communicating thereby the desired motion to thc roller C.

The shaft Ellas a pinion, J, on cach end, meshing into lthe wheels G,attached to` the sides of the ai'terwheels E of the carriage, andreceives thus its motion from said after-wheels.

The roller O' is connected with the roller C by means of a belt, S, toreceive the desired motion.

a and m are two cushions, rubbers, or electrics, between which the outerpart of the belt a is made to pass. These cushions or electrics aresupported by suitable arms fast on the box B, or attached to the frameof the wagon, and so arranged that said electrics n and fm may bebrought nearer together, or further apart, for the purpose ofincreasingor diminishing thc friction upon the belt a.

lhe two rubbers or electrics n and m are connected by a copper wire,(not shown in the drawing,) which is continued to the ground, or restsagainst the tire of one wheel ofthe machine, and whereby the supply oi'electricity is kept up.

The belts a a are made ot' raw or unbleachcd slik and woolen cloth, thesilk being on the outside, next to the cotton-plant, and the wool nextthe rollersl t and D. These belts or bands may be likewise madeI otvarious other materials, such as raw silk, varnishcd, or of sulphur-gumrubber between raw silk, or ot' sni plmr-gnm rubber alone, or vulcanizedrubber.

lhe rubbers or electrics may be. made of any of the known and suitablematerials; but I prefer to make them of vulcanized or hard rubber, amiol' gum or sof't rubber.

n is the hard or vulcanized rubber, and 1n, the soi't rubber, the hardrubber being placed on the inside ot' the belt (t, and tbe soft-rubberelectric 'nt on the outside; and, when the belt c is made of silk andwool, the latter material must be placed next the rollers C and D, sothat the said woolen part ot the` belt will rest against the hard-rubberelectric n.

The bottom rollcrs- D D must be made of or corcrcd with vulcanized orhardrubber.

Tile top rollers C Omaybc covered either with vulcanized rubber orserge.

The brackets or arms supporting the rollers O C' and D D', as well asthose to which thc rubbers or electrics n and in are fastened, must beproperly insulated by covering or making' them of vulcanized ruhbcr; andthe journals of the rollers may run in glass boxes, and the connectingpoints of the rubber may be glass when rubber is not used, or both maybe em ployed.

The whole machine is to be made non-conducting by coating its parts withsome good non-couducting material, such as hard or vulcanized rubber,sheliac,

copai, or amber-varnish, or any other non-eomlucting substance, so asnot to convey the electricity from the bauds or belts when electriiied.

By the forward motion ol' the machine or wagon, tbc bands a a will bcoperated in the direction indicated by the arrows, and pass between theelectrics n and nl, and charged thereby with electricity. Thecotton-plants, knocked or shaken by suitable machinery, whereby thecotton will become loosened from. the boils, pass between thoseelectriiied bauds or belts a a, attracting the cotton from the boils totheir surfaces, and carry the same upward above thc receiving-box l,where the cotton will be repelled, and fall into said box. Brushes orscrapers may likewise bc applied to' the top cnd ot' the bauds or belts,for the purpose ot detaching thc cotton from thc same.

Instead ot' bands or belts, stationary plates or sur faces of suitablematerial may be arranged on each side of the machine, between winch thecotton-plant ,is made to pass, and which may be chargedwith frictionalelectricit-y, to attract the cotton from their boils, brushes, orScrapers bengin that case arranged to pass over the surfaces of saidplates, to collect the cotton, and carry the saine into thereceiving-box.

lVhen the electricity with which the belts or bands are charged is verypowerful, the cotton may be drawn from the bolls Without any previousknocking or shaking of the plant.

l do not wish to confine myself to any particular arrangement or devicefor generating frictonal electricity, as the same may be produced invarious Well-known ways; but

lVhat I claim as my. invention, and desire to seenre by Lett-ers Patent,is

l. The cotton-picker, constructed so as to be charged with electricity,and thereby attract the' cotton-fibers, and draw them from the bolls,substantially as and for the' purpose herein specified.

2. The arrangement and use of belts orbands charged with frictionalelectricity, between which the cottonplants are made to pass, for thepurpose of attracting and collecting the cotton from the bells, andconvey the same to the receiving-box, substantially as hereinbeforespecified.

3. The arrangement and use of suitable belts at cach side of machinesconstructed with a device for shaking the plant, for the purpose ofloosening the cotton from the bolls, in combination with suitablerubbers or electrics to charge said belts with electricity, in themanner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth. ROBERT F.lCOOKE.

Witnesses:

HENRY El ROEDER. JOHN CHRIsT.

